Antiviral drugs to treat Covid-19 can only be sold with a doctor's prescription

Recently, Nghe An Department of Health issued Official Dispatch No. 801/SYT-QLD on the business of antiviral drugs.Covid-19 treatmentSend to district/city/town health department and pharmaceutical business establishments in Nghe An province.

Official dispatch of Nghe An Department of Health. Photo: Thanh Chung

The document stated: According to the provisions of Circular No. 52/2017/TT-BYT dated December 29, 2017 of the Ministry of Health on prescriptions and prescriptions of pharmaceutical and biological drugs in outpatient treatment, antiviral drugs used to treat Covid-19 patients (Favipiravir, Remdesivir,Molnupiravir, Nirmatrelvir combined with Ritonavirl) are drugs that can only be sold with a doctor's prescription. Selling antiviral drugs used to treat Covid-19 patients without a doctor's prescription is against the regulations.

Currently, the Ministry of Health has licensed the circulation of a number of antiviral drugs containing the active ingredient Molnupiravir. To avoid the phenomenon of selling antiviral drugs to treat Covid-19 in violation of regulations in Nghe An, the Department of Health requires pharmaceutical businesses in Nghe An province not to sell antiviral drugs for Covid-19 patients without a doctor's prescription.

The Department of Health requests the District/City/Town Health Department to update the information in this dispatch for pharmaceutical businesses in the area under their management; promptly handle according to the provisions of Point d, Clause 15, Article 2, Decree No. 124/2021/ND-CP dated December 28, 2021 of the Government on amending Decree 115/2018/ND-CP regulating administrative sanctions for violations of food safety and Decree 117/2020/ND-CP regulating administrative sanctions for violations in the health sector.